Clean up on Aisle 4!
by HunneyBea
Summary: After being rejected again, Shawn takes a break.  But he comes back a different man.  Who has influenced him and will he come back to his old ways?
1. Chapter 1

"Shawn!"

"Dad I'm not listening."

"Shawn, admit it you were wrong. You can't be right all of the time. It happens. Karen told me - - "

"Chief Vick was wrong, they're all wrong. That's not how – "

"Shawn!" Henry started to raise his voice but it was to empty air, because Shawn had stormed out of the house, letting the door slam behind him.

Henry waited, he would go outside in a few minutes and would find Shawn pacing back and forth, or sitting on the porch, hands on his head, deep in thought.

They would grumble about a few things and then change the subject.

At least that's how it had been before, what he expected to happen now. That is until he heard the rumble of the motorcycle and by the time he was out the door and the sound of the bike was fading away.

Shawn would be back. Henry thought to himself. He always comes back.


	2. Chapter 2

"Detectives." Chief Karen Vick approaches their desk carrying a folder. "Mr. Spencer was right."

"Please tell me you're talking about Henry?" Lassiter doesn't bother to look up from his paperwork.

"No, she's talking about Shawn." O'Hara gleefully told him, listening as she picks up the phone and starts dialing.

"Yes, Shawn." Chief Vick read through the file. "His prediction of the pictures was on the mark, and when we found the back-up video and undeveloped film, and the suspect is willing to make a full confession in exchange for the video to be kept out of the courtroom and the media.

"That means he's gonna come back." Lassiter rolled his eyes. "Can we not tell him until next week?"

But O'Hara had hung up the phone once and had dialed again and was now on the phone with Gus.

"Shawn was right, there was a video camera." She practically bubbles over the phone.

"I know". Gus answers quietly. "He told you."

"I know, and I'm so sorry. Do you know where he is? I've called him and the call goes to voice mail."

There is long pause before he answers. "He's gone."

"Gone where?" O'Hara said that in a voice that got the attention of several people in the office.

But she was not paying attention to what was going on around her.

"I don't know. I got a text that he was going away." Gus pauses. "By the time I got to his apartment he was gone. Paid his rent two months in advance and asked some of the ladies to water his plants and bring his mail in."

O'Hara was speechless as she slowly lowered the phone down.

Shawn had come to her apartment begging her to hear him out and she shut the door on him.

She had been angry that he had embarrassed her, she believed in him and he made her look like a fool.

_"Just leave me alone." _She yelled as she shut the door on him. Shutting him out of her life.

She leaned against the door, expecting him to keep knocking, making a nuisance of himself before she relented and let him in. That had happened before and she knew it to happen again.

It was a game that they enjoyed playing with each other.

But after a few minutes of silence, she looked through the peephole, expecting that he was probably making faces. She saw nothing.

She slowly opens the door, looking for him to be lying against the door so he would fall in when she opens it, or to find him curled up on in front of the door, just to embarrass her if anyone happens to see him.

But when she opened the door none of that happened.

He was gone.

And she hadn't seen him or heard from him since.


	3. Chapter 3

_Three weeks later…_

Shawn was soo tired, he thought about opening his eyes, but he was warm and cozy in a little cocoon, so he wanted to keep them closed and just sleep. He would hear noises, like the buzzing of mosquitoes, and as time went on they became clearer and formed words.

_"- - picking up strays."_

_" - - - want me to do, leave him there?_

_" - - - call his emergency contact?"_

_"Noooo!"_ Shawn screams, but the screams were in his head. His body and muscles didn't want to cooperate.

"- - - long way from home." Then the voices faded away to buzzing sounds until the darkness of sleep called to him again and pulled him under.

When he finally wakes up and can stay awake, he stretches for a good long time before slowly sitting up.

A check under the covers revealed he was only wearing his underwear.

_"What kind of hotel did I end up in?"_ He wonders.

Even though the room was dark, there was a sliver of light peeping in through the slit in the curtains.

While reaching over to turn on the bedside table lamp it came on at the touch of his hand, it was one of those one-touch gizmos that could be turned on and off by touch.

He played with it a few minutes before leaving it on to see where he was.

A nice bedroom, the bed was comfy, the comforters and sheets were smooth as silk on his body and the room had a feminine touch to it.

_"Maybe a bed-and-breakfast."_ He thought._ "How did I end up here?"_

He slipped his legs off the side of the bed and stood, or tried to, because he suddenly felt faint and as he fell he reached out and took the beside table lamp with him.

The crash alerted someone because he heard footsteps coming toward the door, then a couple of taps on the door and it slowly opens.

Shawn was still coming to his senses as he takes in the bare feet, and then follows it up to the ankles, knees, and a body wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

"Are you ok? Let's get you back up in bed." The strange, but pretty, woman tells him. "I was wondering when you'd wake up."

"How long - -" Shawn tries to say but his dry, parched throat makes it hard to enunciate.

"Shhh, let me get you a glass of water."

He lay back down, rotating his ankles to get circulation moving when she came back in with a glass of ice water. "I'm Kay, and you've been asleep for almost two days."

After gulping down most of the glass of cool water he takes a breath. "My bike?"

"It's in the garage, it like you, needed some TLC."

He nods. "Where am I?"

"Sanford, Florida. Just north of Orlando. Where were you going?"

"Dunno, just driving, maybe to the Keys." Feeling self-conscious Shawn pulls the covers up over his chest. "Uh… my clothes."

"I came in at one point to check on you and your clothes were lying were on the floor." She holds her hands up. "It wasn't me."

Shawn didn't remember doing that, then the sound of his growling stomach drowned out the next question.

"Where are my manners, you must be hungry." Kay turns to walk toward the door.

"Yea… I mean - - "

It's not a problem. Look, while I'm cooking, sit up and try to move around, need to keep the blood flowing. The bathroom is over there and a shower will help you feel better, there's a robe and some sweats you can put on when you're done. After you get your bearings you can meet me in the kitchen. Just follow your nose."

Shawn sat on the edge of the bed for a long time before slowly standing, this time hanging onto the wall, slowly but surely he was able to make his way to the bathroom, where he took a long, hot shower. He finally turned off the water and dressed, and then found his way to the kitchen where Kay was working on lunch.

"My brothers will be over soon, they want to make sure you're safe."

"Brothers?"

"Uh-huh." Kay answers. "Two older brothers, they aren't as mean as they come across. They are just curious about you."

"How'd I get here?"

"You really don't remember." She looks at him with a tilt of her head. "I was at the diner and went to the bathroom and when I came out you were sitting at my table, we talked for a few minutes before you fell asleep, from exhaustion. I couldn't leave you there so I brought you home.

"I had a doctor check you out; he said you just needed to rest."

"I didn't know they did house calls anymore"

"They don't."

After an uncomfortable pause Shawn asks. "You…you didn't call my family."

"No, I thought about it but you weren't hurt or ill. But if you hadn't woken up soon, I may have."

Shawn didn't realize how hungry he was, and it wasn't just that made the food taste good, the food was good.

"Are you a fan of Jewel? The singer?" Kay asks out the blue as they eat.

"Why?"

"Because you would mumble her name every now and then."

_Jewel._

_Jules._

_Juliette_.

Shawn just nods. "Yea, must have been thinking of one of her songs."


	4. Chapter 4

The rental car pulls into the restaurant parking lot and parks in the farthest spot possible.

"I knew he'd tell them." Shawn sighs and puts his head on the steering wheel for a few minutes.

He had spotted some familiar cars parked there as he drove in. He would see them and they would probably say they "just happened to be there for lunch."

He sat there a few more minutes before finally opening the car door and muttering. "Lets to get this over with."

X

X

X

"I can't believe it's been over a year." Gus comments as he was keeping an eye on the cars through the restaurant window. Hearing the roar of a motorcycle pull up and park made him wonder if the car rental agencies were renting bikes these days.

He watched the driver take off his helmet. It wasn't Shawn.

"13 months and 22 days." O'Hara gave him an exact count, she couldn't stop smiling. "He should be here any minute."

She wanted to tell Shawn in person she was sorry. He came to her apartment; she told him that he had embarrassed her and the PD.

And she told him to leave.

And leave her alone.

And he did.

Now she wanted to make up for that.

"You sure he doesn't suspect anything." Karen Vick asks as she watches her husband chase their toddler around.

"I don't think so. Shawn made me promise not tell anyone he was coming back to town, he wanted to talk to me first then he'd let everyone know he was back tomorrow." Gus shrugs. Shawn had even declined the offer to picking him up at the airport and that meant that Shawn would be able to get away at a moments notice. "I agreed, but then again I didn't want to risk him leaving without letting anyone know and leaving me holding the bag."

"Where has he been?" Lassiter asks, grabbing another couple of appetizers. "He's not planning on coming back is he?"

"Oh admit it, you missed him." Victoria teases her husband.

Lassiter had to admit his blood pressure had gone down several points since the boy wonder had left, but then again he was gone and Carlton could feel the void in the department, they missed him as well, especially O'Hara.

"Don't know." Gus answered honestly.

Almost a month after he left, Shawn had phoned him using a pre-paid phone card to check in and talk, and was careful not to give anything away, because he knew his dad and others would guilt or trick Gus into telling them. "But he's says he's doing good."

Gus looked around at the gathering of people. He made sure he had everyone show up half an hour early so they wouldn't show up at the same time as Shawn "by accident."

Looking back out the window, he finally sees the guest of honor walking across the parking lot. A few minutes late but he was there.

"Shhh." Gus gets everyone's attention. "There he is. You stay here and stay quiet and I'll bring him in."

Gus casually walks across the restaurant and waits as Shawn holds the doors open for a departing couple before calling out to him. "Shawn!"

"Gus!"

They give each other man hugs and size each other up. Shawn was, well un-Shawn like. He was wearing a sports suit and tie, and expensive looking shoes, probably a knock off brand. He sure was dressed to make a good impression.

Gus was sure his best friend would be back to jeans, a flannel shirt and tennis shoes by the end of the night.

"Hey, you didn't have to dress up; it's just gonna be the two of us. I'm glad you're back."

"I've missed you buddy." Shawn tells him as he follows Gus to the back of the restaurant. "I've got so much to tell you."

"Same here." Gus starts to talk as he leads him toward some tables near the private room. "We've got table over here, no one will see you."

"You know for a minute there I thought - - - "

"SURPRISE!" Shawn was interrupted as the group yelled as they pair got closer.

"Sorry we couldn't wait." Henry jokes.

Everyone was talking and sharing Shawn's attention, and when he got to Juliette, she pulled him close and kissed him, "I missed you."

"Excuse me?" A female voice interrupts the near-passionate moment.

They all turned to see a woman standing nearby, watching them.

She had shoulder length dark hair, wearing a fashionable dark blue dress covered by a green blazer, high heels and a silk scarf hanging loosely from the collar of her blazer.

Gus knew the managers of the restaurant, and she wasn't one of them. Maybe she was meeting someone for lunch; having a business meeting or was just wondering what all the commotion was about. But whatever the reason, she was standing there watching them.

"Sorry, this is a private party." Gus tells the stranger.

"Oh?" She answers coolly while raising an eyebrow

"Uh… yea." Shawn quickly removes Juliette's hands from his waist and walks over to the woman.

He says something, she frowns, then smiles and laughs saying something back to him. He shrugs, says something and then nods and puts his arm around her waist and brings her in closer to the group.

"This is everybody." He goes around the room making introductions. "And everybody this is Kay." He looks at his watch. "My wife of 27 hours"


	5. Chapter 5

_"This is everybody." He goes around the room making introductions. "And everybody this is Kay." He looks at his watch. "My wife of 27 hours_

You could have heard a pin drop.

A couple of glasses were heard breaking as they hit the floor dispelling their liquid contents.

"This is one of your jokes isn't it?" Was whispered, but the tell tale signs of rings were on their fingers and the couple seemed to be oblivious to the shock and stunned silence because they beamed with happiness.

They waited for Shawn to jump around and say "Got ya" but as the seconds ticked by, he didn't.

"Your…. wife?" Juliette whispered as she felt her jaw, and her heart, hit the floor.

"She married you?" Lassiter blurted out. "Was she in control of her mental facilities when she said yes?"

Madeline was the first to break the awkwardness and walk up and hug Kay. "Welcome to the family I've always wanted a daughter."

"Thank you." Kay blushes. "I know this has come as a surprise."

"You can say that again." Gus mutters.

"Tell us all about it." Madeline ignores his and other comments and leads her to their table. "Shawn didn't say a word about getting married when he called."

"Well, we were planning to be in Las Vegas for a conference and I thought it would be a good idea for Shawn to visit his family." Shawn walked by the others, taking his place by his new bride. "Anyway we were sightseeing, and Shawn had one of his visions and stopped in front of a little chapel, and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him."

"And you said yes." Juliette whispered.

"And she said yes." Shawn grins widely, taking his wife's hand in his. "I had to act quick before she changed her mind."

"I love your ring." Madeline holds her new daughter-in-laws hand, admiring the circle on her left finger. "My son has good taste."

"It's nothing fancy; it was from a pawn shop." Kay looks happily at her ringed finger. "And it's the most beautiful ring I've seen."

"Well, I'm sure you two are hungry." Henry steers the conversation around food and what has being going in his son's life.

After talking and eating for a bit Lassiter finally asks the big question. "So, how did you two meet?"

"He joined me at my table for dinner. And we hit it off and started seeing each other." Kay quickly answers before changing the subject and turning to Henry. "Before I forget, Mr. Spencer, are busy tomorrow? When we decided to visit I made arrangements for that Sea Worthy Charter fishing trip here in Santa Barbara. I know its short notice, but if you'd like to go - - -"

"Would I? That trip had a waiting list months long." Henry was excited to be asked. That little trip cost a pretty penny to go and he dismissed the thought in the back of his mind of asking how she got to the top of the waiting list so fast.

"I'll go too dad." Shawn tells him.

"You will?" Henry looks at him oddly. "Who are you and what have you done with my son?"

That elicited a laugh from the group.

"I am your son, and I've grown up… a little."

"Go Henry, Kay and I will go shopping and get to know each other." Madeline encouraged him.

"Well, if you insist."

"I do." Kay laughs. "I'll get you the info later tonite."

While Kay was meeting everyone and chatting, Gus follows Shawn to the bar when he went to pick up a couple of drinks. "Shawn you could have at least told me you were bringing a date, or even that you got married."

"Gus, the marriage was a last minute thing. We… well we're still on our honeymoon. But don't worry I'll pencil you in. We'll do lunch."

Gus just stares at his friend. Henry was right, who was this imposter.

"Help me carry these." Shawn hand him a couple of drinks.

Back at the table, Shawn hands Kay her drink, she takes a sip and makes a face. Shawn immediately notices.

"Wrong drink?"

She nods.

"Ginger ale only?" He whispers in her ear, but it was noticeable enough to Madeline.

"Yes please."

Madeline looks at Kay for a couple of moments, her face lighting up. "Are you?" Then turning to Henry and whispers something, his face lights up as well.

"She guessed." Kay tells Shawn as he returns with her drink.

"Well we have one more announcement." Shawn begins but Madeline finishes it for him.

"We're gonna be grandparents." Madeline beams and hugs Henry, who was happy as well, already planning on take his grandson or granddaughter fishing.

"Thanks mom. And yes, we are going to have a baby…in about 7 months."

That was all Juliette could handle, she put her drink down and got out of there as quickly as she could.

"What are we waiting for, this deserves a toast." She heard as she practically ran through the restaurant to the door, to get away from this nightmare.


	6. Chapter 6

"Mrrooow." Juliette wakes up to the meow of Kitty, her short haired domestic cat she adopted from the animal shelter. She blinks a couple of times to get her bearing, she doesn't remember how she got home, but she did and she collapsed on her bed, fully dressed and with a heavy heart, fell asleep.

"It's not fair is it?" She pets the purring feline who kneaded the bed in preparation of settling down. "Shawn came back. And he's married! Married! And she bet he doesn't even know the woman."

Kitty just purrs as an answer.

4:03 a.m. She groans as she looked at the clock.

"I may as well get up." She tells Kitty who had curled up on the bed and was napping. Kitty answered by opening one eye then closing it again.

She had just finished a shower and was contemplating what to make for breakfast when her phone rang.

Gus.

"You couldn't sleep either?" Were the words she answered the phone with.

"No, there is something very wrong with that situation."

"Have you had breakfast yet?"

Gus is already at a table at the 24-hour diner by the time she gets there. Juliette slides in the booth across from him and gives her order to the waitress "double order of hash browns, with tomato, onion and cheese, and coffee."

The waitress hadn't even turned around when Gus got straight to the point. "That watch he was wearing is a Moldavo, they don't come cheap, I looked it up and they start at 3k, and that's just for a basic model. And that necklace she was wearing? It's a Pagado, they run at least 2k without the charms. I know because one of my clients have on my route have that watch and Kay mentioned the name of the necklace last night." Gus shrugs an explanation of how he knew so much about the jewelry. "It's a status symbol."

"I think she brainwashed him or something, she's too good to be true. Shawn just wouldn't up and dump his friends like that." Juliette argues, she could still feel the smirk the woman would throw her way the previous night. "What did he say?"

"I wasn't able to get any info at all last night. Where she lives, what she does, or even what her maiden name is."

"Wait." Juliette grabs a pad of paper from her purse. "Last night he said they were married for 27 hours." She starts writing numbers as she talks.

"Yea?"

"They were married in Vegas so today would be two days they've been married." Juliette sees a solution. "I can look make some calls to find out some info from their marriage license. It's probably in the system. Then I can get a name and run a background check on her to find out who she really is."

"What can I do?" Gus asks, he wanted to help his friend out of this predicament. "Shawn's going fishing with his dad today. Shawn and fishing. Those are two things I never thought I'd say in the same sentence."

"Once I get the info, you can distract Shawn while I talk to Kay by herself and give her a chance to drop this charade…or be charged with some kind of fraud."


	7. Chapter 7

"You're not too sunburned." Kay massages Shawn's shoulders with lotion to ease the red tint to his skin following his fishing trip. "Did you have fun?"

"Yea, you know it really wasn't that bad." Shawn relaxes as he lay on the couch, her fingers lightly caressing over his shoulders and back. "You and mom have a good time?"

Henry was dressing and cooking the fish for dinner and Madeline was scurrying around the kitchen and they sent Shawn and Kay to rest.

"We did. Did a lot of window shopping and talking."

"Glad I went fishing." He laughs.

"And she was a wealth of information about you."

"Oh man. I knew that wasn't going to be a good idea. I can explain most of what she told you." Shawn laughs and rolls over.

"I'm sure you will." Kay gives him a look. "So tell me about - - "

"Dinner's ready kids." Henry's calls out.

"Safe!" Shawn jumps up and runs to the kitchen with Kay in pursuit.

"Caught this one myself." Henry boasts as he takes a bite of a piece of fish. Fried fish, hushpuppies, potato salad, and more are on the menu. The men share stories of the ones that got away and other tall tales.

"So we're still on for the Catalina's tomorrow?" Madeline asks Kay as dinner winds down.

"I'm in." Shawn and Henry chorus.

"Shawn you don't have to go. " Kay quietly comments as she places a hand on his forearm, her index finger tapping twice, a seemingly innoculous movement.

"Yes I do. I need to do my job as host and tour guide and maybe I'll admit to…I mean, explain my side of some of those stories mom and dad have been telling you. And I want to be on hand to defend myself from some of the stories you are gonna hear."

"I can set my own hours at the department. They won't miss me one more day." Henry explains.

"Well if you insist." Madeline shrugs as they plan the next days outing.

X

X

X

"You sure you gonna be ok today? I can reschedule plans with Gus." Shawn hovers after helping Kay back to bed after her bout with morning sickness.

"Yes I will be ok, and no you will not change your plans. He's your best friend, and you've missed hanging out with him. I'm sorry I've kept you from your friends for almost three days. How selfish am I?"

"You are not selfish." He chides her as he hands her a glass of water and puts a pillow under her feet.

" I told you I'm not going to stand in your way of your friends and family."

"You are my family now shweet hart." Shawn answers in a pretty good Humphrey Bogart imitation as he pulls her closer. They cuddle and talk as they view the digital pictures from the Catalina trip until her cell phone rings.

"Nah, I'll get it." Shawn reaches for the cell phone as Kay gets up to stretch and make another bathroom visit.

"Hello." Shawn answers. "Hi Mr. - - -"

_"No Shawn, you can call me dad now that you two have decided to make things legal."_ The voice on the other end laughs.

"Yes, Mr, uh, Dad." Shawn talks to him until Kay comes back feeling better. "Yes, your daughter and my beautiful wife; is right here. I think she'd like to talk to you as well."

He kisses her as he hands the phone over.

Kay takes the phone as a knock on the door announces "_Room Service."_

"Right on time." Shawn heads to the door as Kay walks out onto the balcony to have some privacy.

"Daddy."

_"How is everything going?"_

"Fine." She looks into the room and watches Shawn setting up the plates and sneaking bites. "We have some loose ends to take care of here then we'll be home in a few days and this will be all behind him."


	8. Chapter 8

"I think that's the car." Gus was sitting in his car, watching and waiting, not sure if Shawn was gonna show this time or call to cancel at the last minute. "Ok, it's him and…he's alone and still dressed up. I thought for sure by now he'd be back to normal by now."

"Just keep them there as long as you can. I'll text you as soon as I'm free." O'Hara tells him. "I'm on my way to the hotel."

'You missed this place huh?" Gus asks as he walks to his friend, who is standing there, staring at the Psych office window.

"Yea." Shawn sighs. "I always knew it would be waiting when I came back."

"It's still here, but hasn't seen any action." Gus notices the windows are clean and the weeds that normally sprout up near an unoccupied area are gone. The office doesn't even have that abandoned feel to it. Someone may have taken pity on them and washed the windows. "Why did you want to meet here?"

"Good times my friend, good times. Remember all the good times we had here." Shawn reaches into his pocket, pulling out a key and opening the door. "And dude, I'm sorry about cancelling yesterday, things just happened."

"It's ok. I needed to make some more stops on my route anyway, catch up with some clients, so it worked out in the end." Gus has to agree. "You kept the key all this time?"

"Why not?" Shawn answers but doesn't elaborate and walks into the Psych office and looks around.

No one has been in there in since shortly after he left. Gus locked it up, expecting his friend to be back in a couple of months, but it turned out much longer.

"How's married life?" Gus breaks the ice, building up to reveal some critical information to Shawn. He still can't believe Shawn is married. All those months talking on the phone he never mentioned a steady girlfriend.

"Great." Shawn grins. "I don't know why we didn't do it earlier."

Shawn inhales the musty air then runs over to his chair and spins around it. "So tell me what's been going on in your life."

"You first." Gus takes his old seat, the chair was still comfy and he smiled as he thought of the hours spent at this desk. "So where did you go? Where did you meet her?"

Shawn puts his feet up on the desk and closes his eyes for a minute before answering. "Gus I have a confession to make."

"It's about time. I was wondering when you were gonna admit to it." Gus sighs a relieved sigh.

"I can't believe I kept it from you all this time." Shawn tilts his head back and looks up at the ceiling.

"Confession is good for the soul. We can work this out."

"I've been worried about how you would take the news, so I decided to wait until I saw you in person to tell you."

"Shawn, I understand. Sometimes it's best to talk to someone in person, and we can fix the problem. There are more people involved than you think."

'I know." Shawn takes a deep breath. "I haven't paid rent on the office in long time."

"I knew she - - -wait-what do you mean? We're here illegally, trespassing even; the next knock on the door may be the police ready to arrest us."

"What was that ? I heard a car door slam; they're coming to arrest us." Gus looks at his friend then ducks under the desk.

"Gus - -"

"Come on, hide so they won't see us. We can say we were walking by and saw the door was open and we came in to check things out."

"Gus I own the building." Shawn blurts out.

"I have enough to make bail, do - - - you what?

"Kay thought it would be a good investment, and we bought the building. The rent from other tenants covers the mortgage and I was able to keep the office untouched."

You—own—investment?" Gus repeats the key words. Again he never though he'd hear those words come out of Shawn's mouth in the same sentence.

"Yea, it turned out to be a good idea."

No sooner than those words are out of his mouth, there is a knock on the door.

"We're not open for business…are we?"

"Nah, I ordered in lunch." Shawn calmly got up and paid for delivery, and to Gus's surprise even left a big tip.

"Hope you're hungry."

X

X

X

O'Hara found a convenient parking spot close to the hotel. She pulled the pins out of her hair and shakes it, letting the tresses fall around her face and shoulders, and after unbuttoning a couple of buttons on her shirt, strolls into the hotel and stopping to talk to a desk clerk. "I was supposed to meet Kay downstairs and she hasn't come down yet. I don't know her room number but I was hoping I could go up and surprise her." She flirts with the young man at the desk.

"Yes ma'am." The clerk blushes at the attention and gets so flustered as he presses the wrong keys on the keyboard, causing the computer to beep annoyingly. "Last name."

"Davis- - - Oh you mean hers." O'Hara giggles. "Spencer."

"Yes, she's in suite 620."

"Do you have to call?" O'Hara slips a 50 dollar bill over as she touches the clerk's hand. "Or could I surprise her?"

"No problem." The clerk blushes. "I'll be here til 3 if you need anything else."

O'Hara winks as she makes her way to the elevators, taking a quick detour to the ladies room so she can make herself look more presentable, more professional.

X

X

X

"Yes?"

"Hello, I was wondering if we could talk?" O'Hara was polite to the woman at the door, the woman who was now Shawn's wife.

"Oh?" Kay answers with a cool amusement. "Shawn's not here, if that's who you came to see."

"No, I was hoping to talk to you."

Kay studies O'Hara for a moment, eying the badge hanging around her neck. "I'm not under arrest am I? A person of interest in something? Isn't that what you call it? Do I need to ask to see the warrant?"

"Oh no, this is a social visit." O'Hara puts on a friendly smile.

Kay pauses again before moving away from the door. "Please, come in."

The silk pajamas made no noise as she led the way, pouring herself a glass of juice before settling down on a comfy couch.

"Would you like something to drink? Eat?" She motions to the glass of juice and some finger foods on the table.

"No thank you." O'Hara takes a seat across from her. "I'm Juliette O'Hara."

Kay pauses a moment before drinking her juice and answering. "So you're Jules?"

"What?"

"Nothing, just a passing remark."

"Shawn talked about me?"

"Not really, like I said a passing remark. So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

Juliette steeled herself and announced. "I know who you are and what you're doing."

"You do? My dear tell me."

"You're name is Kay Anna Reed. You're father is Andrew Reed."

"Yes, correct on both counts."

"Andrew Reed is a thug, among other words; he's dangerous and uses his power to get his way."

"My parents divorced when I was a little girl." Kay quietly answers the allegation. "My mother was lucky she got child support from him. She said he wasn't a good influence. Hence I've rarely had contact with him. So what he does does not involve me."

"What about Shawn?" O'Hara snaps.

"What about him?"

"Once he finds out he'll file for divorce. And we'll make sure the truth comes out."

"And who is this "we" you speak of?" Kay gives her a bored look.

"I'll tell him and show him the proof, and then you'll see. People have been waiting for years to get an inside into Andrew Reed's operations. And now we have one."

Kay smiles, and in a syrupy tone answers. "Did you know that spouses can't testify against each other? Oh yes, you're law enforcement, of course you do."

Juliette just glares at her.

"You are beginning to tire me, you can go now." O'Hara can feel shivers run up and down her spine as Kay's voice turns cold. "You know where the door is."


	9. Chapter 9

"Sorry, Juliette, I just don't see it." Henry closes the file and passes it back over to her.

"But she's his daughter. You can't tell me she doesn't have contact with him." O'Hara slams her hand down on the table in the conference room to stress her point.

She had turned to Henry not only because he was a seasoned police officer but because it was Shawn, his son, who was mired in this web of deceit and was just an innocent bystander being dragged into criminal activities by default of marriage.

She had thought about turning to Lassiter, but he and his wife had dinner with the Spencer's and he couldn't say enough nice things about her. He wasn't the least bit suspicious.

"But Henry- - " O'Hara starts to defend herself when he cuts her off.

"Was there a reason you had to go and do such an invasive background check on her Detective?" Henry asks in a tense voice, staring at her waiting for an answer.

O'Hara was momentarily oblivious to his tone and actions."Wouldn't you have done the same? Why is everyone so blind to who she is?"

"She is her own person, if she says she has no contact with her father who, may I remind you that even though he has been suspected of inappropriate activity, he has not been convicted of anything. There is the burden of proof. She has her own life and do you think she likes to be reminded of who that side of her family is?"

"If we get involved now, we can save him."

"Save him from what?"

"She just showed up in Shawn's life, no one knows anything about her, he won't even talk about her."

"It's called privacy." Henry raises his voice a little. "That's what she and Shawn want. If they wanted all the details to be out in the open, they would have told you."

"How much do you know about her?"

Henry sighs and rubs his head. "Ok, you still have feelings for Shawn. It was evident by your display that night at the restaurant. Don't think it wasn't noticed."

"What do you mean my display?" She was caught off guard by this.

"The way you were acting when Kay showed up, she said she even tried talking to you and got nowhere." Henry shakes his head. "Now she didn't come right out and tell me. I had to pry it out of her, because she didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings. But the reality is Shawn has moved on, I think you need to move on too."

"But she said - - -" O'Hara hadn't want to reveal that she had gone to see the woman. But it was too late now.

"She said what?" Henry goes on the defensive. O'Hara can tell he is starting to get aggravated about the whole situation. She was hoping he would be on her side. This was the last ditch effort to get him to open his eyes to see what was really going on.

"She said Shawn couldn't testify against her because they're married. What does that tell you?

There is a long tension filled pause in the room when it dawns on her. "She got to you too."

"I think I understand what you are implying. Detective." Henry turns cool and picks up the file and heads for the door. "And I don't like it. I think its best that you leave them alone."

X

X

X

The ring of Shawn's cell breaks through the laughter. "Hold that thought." He laughs as he checks the caller id and answers. "Hey - - "

Gus just kept laughing and was glad to see Shawn beginning to act like the Old Shawn again. They were joking and enjoying themselves.

Taking a moment to check his own phone, there was still no word from Juliette about her visit. Maybe they are getting along and sharing recipes and stories.

He looks up and watches as his friends face grows pale as he paces a few steps.

"I'm on my way; don't do anything until I get there." He ends the call and just stares at the phone.

"Shawn? What is it?"

The sound of Gus's voice seems to snap him out of his daze. "Gus- - - I have to go." Shawn says as he heads for the door, leaving his friend behind.

"You're in no shape to drive, let me."

Shawn doesn't answer as he bolts out the door, with Gus at his heels.

Gus runs to his own his car and pulls away before even putting his seat belt on. Luck was on his side because several cars passed by before he could move his car; he was able to follow Shawn who was driving erratically and lay on the horn when a car in front of him stopped for a yellow light.

To Gus's surprise, instead of heading to the hotel, he follows the speeding car to the hospital, well just past the hospital to a block of doctor's offices that were within walking distance to the hospital.

In fact, Gus was very familiar with those offices. Since they were on his sales route, he had the office numbers on speed dial, so it should be easy to find what office Shawn went in.

To his surprise, Shawn manages to snap a parking spot close to the offices from another car that was nearing it and planning to take it. He ignores the honking horn and verbal assault thrown out as he parks and runs toward one of the offices, with his phone still at his ear.

"Oh man." Gus mutters as he looks for a parking spot, tempted to use his work placard to park in the reserved for clients spots, but at a glance, none of those spaces were available.

As he drives around the general parking lot he begins to think of what the medical emergency could be and the answer comes to him in a flash. "Something must have happened to Henry or Madeline!"

That would be the only reason Shawn was so upset when he bolted, he was in shock, that's why he didn't tell him. Glad he followed him here because his friend would need moral support during this time of crisis.

Finally finding a car pulling out of a parking spot at what seemed like the furthest spot from the hospital. Gus begins to hurry toward the set of buildings when he hears "Excuse me." He turns to see a couple, man and woman, a couple of cars over walking his way. "Could we have a minute of your time?"

"Sorry, not interested." He continues walking.

"On the contrary, I think you will be interested in what we have to say." The woman replies. "That is if you want to help Shawn."


	10. Chapter 10

_"On the contrary, I think you will be interested in what we have to say." The woman replies. "That is if you want to help Shawn."_

_That made Gus stop in his tracks and turn his attention to them. "What are you talking about?"_

_X_

X

X

The inside the doctor's office is cool and quiet as Shawn runs in and quickly scans the waiting room as he waits for eyes to adjust to the change in light.

One person is sitting there, reading a paperback and probably waiting on the person being helped at the desk. Other than the office staff, there is no one else there that he is looking for.

"How is she? What happened? Where is she?" Shawn blurts out questions to the first person that looks up to see him as he approaches the desk and then yells. "Will someone answer me?"

All eyes were on him like he was a crazy man as one of the nurses reaches toward the panic button on her shirt.

Before she could press the button, Madeline emerges from the back of the office and pulls on his arm, leading him away.

"Shawn." Madeline speaks softly while giving the others in the office an apologetic smile. "Calm down. She's with the doctor"

"What happened? Why didn't she call me?" Still in an agitated state, insisting on getting an answer.

"She called me because she wasn't feeling well; she didn't want to disturb you in case it was nothing. I made a couple of calls and we got in to see the doctor here and she's with him now."

"She wasn't feeling well this morning; I shouldn't have left her alone." Shawn shakes his head. "She was doing to much lately."

"Shawn, she didn't want to worry you."

Madeline was still talking when they were interrupted by "Mrs. Spencer?"

Shawn looks up to see a Doctor in the white coat looking at them.

"I'm her, I mean I'm Mr. Spencer, No…Mrs. Spencer is my mom and my wife, I mean I'm Kay's Spencer's husband."

Madeline nods at the doctor, confirming what her babbling son is saying.

He nods an understanding and leads them to a private area to talk.

Kay turns to the sound of the light knock on the door, watching as it slowly opens and Shawn pokes his head in.

She tears up as he walks over to her. Before he can say anything, she starts crying "I'm sorry"

"Shhhh it wasn't your fault." He reaches her, cuddling her, kissing the top of her head as she cries into his shirt. He'd been told Kay was given something to make her drowsy so she may not focus too well.

"She was horrible, and I got so upset - -

"Don't worry, the doctor said…wait what"

"Your friend." She sniffs tearfully. "Julie, she can to visit this morning."

_Julie?_ "Juliette?"

Kay nods.

"Why?"

"She said…she… she called you and asked said she was going to visit, be social, and then she said all those said horrible things, I…I made her leave."

"Whoa, now back up; tell me what happened, from the beginning."

Shawn holds his wife's hand as she tearfully goes into detail about the visit.

"It's ok." Shawn's temper slowly simmers as he tries to contain his anger and comforts her as they mourn the loss of their child.

Too soon a knock on the door interrupts them as a nurse pokes her head in. "I need to take more vitals and the doctor wants to check on her before we release her."

Shawn nods and squeezes her hand tight. "I'll be right back, don't worry, I'll take care of everything."

Kay just nods and closes her eyes to try and hold back the tears as he leaves her side and lets the nurse take over.

Closing the door behind him he leans against the opposite wall as his mom sees him.

"Shawn." Madeline approaches him and gives him a hug. "I'm sorry."

"Mom, can you take her back to the hotel."

"Yes but - - "

"I'll be there shortly I need some time."

Madeline nodded in agreement, thinking that her son was going to reflect on life. "Don't be gone too long."

"I won't."

X

X

X

Gus was in the waiting room, taking the time to talk to the staff about how they liked some of the products and promoting some of the new products available when Shawn stomps his way toward the door.

Gus excuses himself and followed his friend out only to be accosted as soon as the door closed.

"Tell me your weren't a part of it." Shawn was in his face. Gus had never seen his friend that angry before. The veins were popping out on his neck and his fists, which were clutching the collars of his shirt, were clenched in anger.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was hanging out with because I'm your friend." Gus reasons. "And that's the reason I followed you here. I thought something had happened to your mom or dad."

"You'd better be telling me the truth." Shawn glares at him before loosening his grip on his shirt and stomping off.

"Wait!" Gus chases after his friend, moving quick enough to block him from opening the car door. "You're in no mood to drive. You won't be do anyone any good if you get into an accident. You need to cool off."

"I've got something to do. Buddy, are you gonna stand by me or behind me?"

Gus doesn't like the look in Shawn's eyes but answers "stand by you...if you let me drive."

Shawn looks as if he's going to explode but the look passes and Shawn walks over to the passenger door. "Let's go."


	11. Chapter 11

Gus was in the waiting room, taking the time to talk to the staff about how they liked some of the products and promoting some of the new products available when Shawn stomps his way toward the door. He excuses himself and followed his friend out only to be accosted as soon as the door closed.

"Tell me your weren't a part of it." Shawn was in his face. Gus had never seen his friend that angry before. The veins were popping out on his neck and his fists, which were clutching the collars of his shirt, were clenched in anger.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I was hanging out with because I'm your friend." Gus reasons. "And that's the reason I followed you here. I thought something had happened to your mom or dad."

Shawn glared at him before releasing his hold on him. "You'd better be telling me the truth."

Shawn…Shawn" Gus was following in his friends footsteps.…"You're in no shape to drive."

"Like he! I am." Shawn throws open the door to his car, and Gus, who wasn't going to have time to run back to his car and follow him, climbs in the passenger side.

"Slow down...please." Gus adds the last word after getting an angry look from the driver. "Where are we going?"

As if it was an omen, not only did the not hit any red lights as the car raced through town, they weren't stopped for speeding or wreckless driving.

Considering what happened next, Gus would rather have had been pulled over.

As they got closer Gus knew where they were headed.

Shawn hadn't said a word the entire drive and even now he threw the car into park right in front of the Santa Barbara Police Department and ran in.

Gus was in a tight spot, he knew where Shawn was headed and if O'Hara asked him to confirm his role in the matter, he would be sunk.

Gus jumps out, smiles and waves to a couple of cops he recognized who had seen the car pull up and the driver jump out and run into the station. "I'll move the car. He's in a hurry."

X

X

X

"STAY AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!" O'Hara looked up to see a very angry man running toward her. "DID YOU HEAR ME?"

""Shawn I don't understand I haven't - - - "

"Mr. Spencer, do we have a problem?" Chief Vick was standing in the doorway of her office. A couple of other cops standing nearby ready to take action when directed.

Shawn glared at O'Hara before the Chief spoke again. "Mr. Spencer, my office… please."

"What did you do?" Lassiter, walking up with a cup of coffee in hand, looks at her in disbelief.

"I didn't do anything." She mutters as they watch the scene inside the Chiefs office.

Shawn was pacing the floor, talking while using a lot of hand movements and finger pointing.

The finger pointing to outside the office.

The finger pointing in her direction.

"Anyway, whatever it is, Karen can handle it. You ready to go?"

"Go?" O'Hara blinks and tries to remember what he's talking about.

"We've got to interview the store manager from the attempted robbery." Lassiter answers as he puts his jacket on. "Remember you're the one who so insistent on talking to him this morning."

"Oh yea." She nods; maybe it was best that she be out of the office until Shawn had cooled down. Of course his "wife" would have twisted to story around to her advantage. Once O'Hara presented the cold hard facts to the Chief, and to him, he would understand…and change his tune.

"Just a lot of things going on."

A couple of hours later a very smug O'Hara and a not so satisfied Lassiter got back to the department.

She had trusted her gut instinct and asked a question that caught the alleged robbed manager off guard and turned the whole case upside down.

The manager had planned the whole "robbery" to impress his girlfriend. Only thing he didn't expect was that his girlfriend would be recording the whole thing and putting it on youtube with the caption "My Hero." Before calling the Corporate Office and the police department to report it.

"Write up the report and let me review it before it goes anywhere. " Lassiter grumbles.

"Where is my computer?" O'Hara exclaims as she stops dead in her tracks and looks at her desk. "Who has been through my desk?" She looks at the files that have been moved around, and from the size of the stack, some things have been removed.

"Ok I know we all like to play practical jokes.' She looks around the office. "But this is going too far."

Just as she notices that no one is making eye contact with her. The mood darkens when she hears Chief Vick. "Detective O'Hara, my office."

"Just O'Hara." Chief Vick clarifies as Lassiter started to get up to join his partner. He threw her a glance and quickly sits back down and continued to work on his report.

"Chief." O'Hara begins to talk as soon as she walks in. "My computer is gone and someone has gone through my desk and taken cases and files. This joke has gone too far. This isn't - - -"

"Close the door." Chief Vick interrupts her.

"Would you like to explain this to me?" Chief Vick asks as soon as the door is closed, motioning to a file in front of her.

The file she had shown Henry, and she was so flustered she didn't think anymore about it when he took it with him.

"You weren't supposed to see that."

"Oh I got that impression." Chief Vick stares at her. "I don't know what has gotten into you. You used to be so focused, so driven. Since Mr. Spencer has been in town you have been determined to undermine him and his wife."

"Chief I can explain."

"Did you not go to his hotel room this morning?"

"Yes. I just wanted to talk to her."

"Did you have a conversation with his wife about her past, a very heated conversation?"

"She's not who she claims she is. She's dangerous and Shawn needs to know."

"I will advise you to choose your words carefully; we have statements from hotel employees that were you rude and belligerent to her, even threatening her."

"That's not true; she said…." O'Hara begins to protests. "She paid them off! She paid them to say that. There was no one around when I talked to her…Did she call you personally make a complaint or did she have her father make the call? "

Before the Chief can answer there is knock on the door and O'Hara turns to see a man and woman, in suits, carrying briefcases open the door and enter the Chief's Office, closing the door behind them.

Internal Affairs.

So that's why everyone was avoiding eye contact when she came back to the office, that explains the strange call Lassiter got and why he got quiet.

He was told to bring her straight back to the office.

How much did he know ahead of time, she pondered.

"I can't disclose the nature of the complaint." Chief Vick answers her quietly. "You violated protocol and ethics by conducting an unauthorized and unwarranted research and harassing an innocent civilian. I spoke to Internal Affairs, who have decided there is enough to merit an investigation. Mr. Turner and Ms. Douglas who will be taking over and conducting the investigation."

"My - - "

"Your computer and files have been taken and will be reviewed." Mr. Turner interrupts. "Effectively immediately you have been relieved of your duties. Please turn over your weapon and badge to Chief Vick."

"Have you even bothered read what I found out?" O'Hara argues.

"We will consider the source of information during the investigation." Ms. Douglas answered. "Your weapon and your badge please."

With a heavy heart O'Hara turned over the two items as they go over the standard procedures. "Do not contact anyone in the department about the status of the review; do not come back to work unless you are requested to Internal Affairs personnel, etc."

"Go home. We'll be in touch." Mr. Turner opens the door for her. "You will only be able to remove your purse and keys from your desk. Would you like an escort to your car?"

She shakes her head and goes on her own walk of shame as she feels all eyes on her as she walks down the hallway, out the door and as she drives away.


	12. Chapter 12

"You didn't get far. Told you not to forget the discount coupon?" Shawn tells the approaching footsteps, as he watches videos on Gus's laptop. "And don't forget to ask for extra sauce."

"I would have remembered." A soft feminine voice, not a masculine voice, answers.

"What are you doing here?" Shawn jumps out of his chair as he turns and sees who the visitor is. "I have nothing to say to you."

"Just let me explain. " O'Hara pleads quietly.

She had waited in her car within sight of the Psych Office, waiting for a chance to get Shawn alone and talk to him. Finally Gus left, probably to get lunch so she needed to work fast.

She scurries to the office, taking a deep breath, slowly opens the door and walks in. Now she was standing in front of his desk. "You can call the police if you want but I would like you to hear me out first. You and I have known each other for a long time."

Shawn glares at her for a minute before crossing his arms across his chest. "What?"

"How well do you know her?"

"She's my wife, of course I know her." He answers defensively.

"Did you know she is the daughter of Andrew Reed? A well known mobster who has managed to keep his hands clean despite all the accusations and implications of what he's been involved in."

"No she's not. Her last name is Baxter."

"That's her step father's name. She also goes by the name of Reed. This is what you don't know about her." With a shaky hand she holds out a folder.

Shawn hesitantly takes the folder from her hands, their fingers touching, sending a tingle through O'Hara. She wasn't sure if Shawn felt it as well.

He opened the folder and started reading, then sat back down.

After several minutes of reading, Shawn looks up.

"She didn't tell you any of this?"

Shawn didn't answer but resumed reading.

"Does she have contact with Andrew? Her biological father?"

Shawn shakes his head. "I can't believe it. How did you find this out?"

"I was worried about you and did a search. "

"You were worried about me?" Shawn leans back in his chair and gives her his lopsided grin, a familiar sight that melts her heart.

"Yes. I still care for you. I'm sorry I told you to leave me alone. I was angry, hurt and - - "

"Lost your trust in me?" He gazes into her eyes. "But I was right wasn't I?"

"Yes. When I realized I was wrong, it was too late, you were already gone. " She looks into his face, wanting to pull him close again. "Shawn, I know what I've done, the way I did the search is unethical, and I'm sorry for invading your privacy, but there was no other way. As a detective, I had to be sure of the facts before I said anything, and the facts speak for themselves."

"That they do." Shawn murmurs as he closes the folder.

She is using you and I don't want you to be a pawn in her family's game. I don't want you to get hurt again. Together, we can build a case against her father, against his business and bring it down. There have been countless innocent victims left in his wake. And Shawn, you are in the ideal place to gather the info and pass it on to us."

"I could do that." Shawn leans back and rocks in the chair.

O'Hara goes on to explain her idea. "You are already part of the family. It's not like we could slip someone in without them getting suspicious, or recruit an already established member to assist us. We would make sure to give you protection when you need it or want out of the family."

"Who else knows about this idea?

No one… yet. I wanted to run it by you first." She relaxes for a moment, hoping that she has gotten him hooked or at least interested in the idea. "Shawn, I need a favor. "

"Hit me!"

"I've been suspended pending an investigation into what I've uncovered. It would really help me if you would talk to the investigators; tell them why I did what I did. And if you agree to volunteer to help flush him out, it would mean my suspension would be overturned and I would owe you more than I could ever repay you. "

And without skipping a beat, he answers. "Give me their names and numbers. "


	13. Chapter 13

"_I could do that." _

Juliette should have paid more attention to the inflection in his voice, his mannerisms.

"_Give me their names and numbers."_

He was being sarcastic.

He called the investigators all right.

Called to report her.

"You didn't say anything about not talking to Shawn." She countered.

"That should have gone without saying Detective O'Hara. Mr. Spencer said you blind slighted him with the allegations about his wife and her family. Is this true?"

She flusters for a moment before answering. "You mean the allegations which happen to be the truth or the fact that I told him about it."

The investigator was not amused. "You asked him to consider being a plant inside Mr. Reed's business to, in your words, '_to bring him down_.' Was this to also further your own career path?"

Juliette began to feel the walls close in around her as her union appointed representative asked for a break so he could confer with her.

"Why didn't you tell me this?" He harshly whispers once they are out of the room.

"I wasn't thinking- - -"

"That's what got you in this mess to begin with. It would have been nice to have some warning." He sighs heavily. "Anything else you neglected to tell me."

"I don't know." Juliette shakes her head.

"Were they any witnesses when you went to visit him? Anyone that can tell a different side of the story?"

She shook her head. Her training had taught her to always have a back up, a witness. But this time she didn't. She trusted Shawn.

And she thought he trusted her too.

"I thought he would believe me. Can't you call him in and interview him? He won't lie under oath."

The union rep shakes his head. "That's not possible, his attorney declined our request."

"Gus! What about Gus!" She brightens up. "He was just as suspicious as I was. He was…is Shawn's best friend. He can back me up."

"Mr. Guster is not available."

"Why? Did she threaten him or bribe him to keep quiet?" Juliette begins to raise her voice. "He'll testify that she did that. I can talk him into testifying. "

"Shhh." The Union representative pulls her down the hall a few more feet. "Mr. Guster is not available and his attorney has advised that he has nothing to say about this matter. Only suggesting that this was all your doing."

"His attorney? No!" Juliette practically yells as she begins to back up. They were in this together. "No, he didn't. No."

As the Union Rep tries to calm her down she ignores him and runs to the door and to her car.

X

X

X

"Gus?" She knocks on the door again, louder this time. "Are you in there?

The blue car that was associated with him was not in the parking lot, but that didn't mean that he wasn't hiding out. She blamed herself not contacting him sooner.

"He's not there." Juliette turns to see a woman approaching her. "Would you like to look at the apartment?"

"Do you know where he went?" Its police business was on the tip of her tongue, but she had no badge to back her up, so she tries to be friendly. "I'm a friend."

The woman stares at her coldly before answering. "I'm sure he would have told a friend he was moving."

"We've been out of touch lately. A misunderstanding and I wanted to apologize in person." Juliette calmly explains. "Where did he move to?"

"Florida. "


	14. Chapter 14

"Detective O'Hara, you have an excellent record with not only the Santa Barbara Police Department, but with your previous assignments. " The committee begins the meeting with that statement.

She relaxed for a moment, thinking that it wouldn't be all that bad.

"That being said. As a public official you are held to higher standard. The information you have access to is not to be used for personal use or as a vendetta. You're egregious acts toward private citizens, invading their privacy and stalking them have left us no alternative than to ask you to voluntarily resign or be fired. "

O'Hara was speechless as she turned to her union rep, who nodded and answered with. "It's the best thing for the department; we were on the verge of a very nasty and very public lawsuit. We are willing to provide you with a generous severance package as long as you sign this confidentiality agreement."

In shock over everything, O'Hara nodded and quickly signed two sets of documents set before her.

"There is no need for you to go back to your desk." The leader of the meeting told her. "All of your belongings have been packed up and will be delivered to your home. Your colleagues will be told you resigned to pursue other interests. Have a good day.

And with that she was dismissed.

X

X

X

X

The leader of the meeting took a drive during lunch and stopped at a small park. Getting out of his car and walking several feet before taking out a cell phone from his pocket and making a call.

"It's done." He speaks as soon as the phone is answered.

_"Good. _ I thank you for your cooperation in this little matter."

"I kept my end of the bargain - - "

_"And I shall keep my promise as well. A package will be delivered to you in a short time."_

And with that the call ended.

He walks back to his car, taking a moment to remove the battery and sim card before dumping them into different trash cans.


	15. Chapter 15

"It's all taken care of." Andrew Reed finally tells his daughter a couple of weeks later.

He waited to make the announcement to make sure there would be no second thoughts or "acts of conscience" in relation to the Santa Barbara operation. He would keep an eye on the situation of course, and he had taken the necessary precautions to make sure that it couldn't be tracked directly back to him.

"Thank you daddy." Kay gives her dad a big hug before apologizing. "I'm sorry I couldn't do it myself."

"Sometimes things don't go as planned and you need a little help. You made a good deal of progress and that's what counts." He was encouraging and proud of her because she had almost pulled this off.

"So how is Shawn's friend working out?"

"He's fitting in just fine."

"I will admit I was worried about him and how he would adapt to the new environment."

"All it took was a little incentive and things are running smoothly." Kay reassures him. "Don't worry, we're keeping an eye on the two of them and if we have to…well you know, I'll take care of them."


End file.
